November 11, 2007: The Sugar Bean Sisters, by Nathan Sanders. In this Southern Gothic comedy of romance, murder and alien abduction, the Nettle sisters are determined to escape spinsterhood—Willie Mae by going to Salt Lake and finding a good Mormon husband and Faye by hopping on the spaceship when the "space people" return for another visit. We meet Faye and Willie Mae as they return home to their ramshackle swamp dwelling in Sugar Bean, Florida, after a disastrous daytrip to Disney World, where Willie lost her prized Eva Gabor wig on Space Mountain. Having witnessed the landing of an alien space craft some 25 years ago in her daddy's sugarcane field, Faye prepares for the return of her celestial visitors on this night, the very anniversary of that fateful day. A disturbance in the sugarcane field lures the sisters outside to investigate, and Faye recalls how their infamous daddy claimed to have witnessed dead folk walking through Sugar Bean on a similar night many years before. A strange bird-like woman suddenly appears out of the darkness of Buster Swamp, setting in motion a chain of extraordinary events. Lies begin to unravel and the truth is revealed as the Sugar Bean Sisters hatch a diabolical plot to ensure the space people's return.
December 2, 2007: The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, by Dana Fielding. In The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, an artist named Dana Fielding is suffering from a slump in both her career and her personal life. After a disastrous gallery showing, her paranoia and depression send her boyfriend packing. When Fielding attempts suicide, she lands in a mental ward and finds she enjoys the structure of the days. But when she learns her health insurance will pay for only a 10-day stay, she cooks up a scheme with two fellow patients to fool the doctors into believing she's psychotic. Without knowing much about him, she takes on the personality of troubled baseball star Darryl Strawberry. Known for having the 'sweetest swing in baseball,' Strawberry also struggled with…the darker side of fame, including rejection by fans and the effort to make a comeback…When Dana chats with fellow patients Michael, an alcoholic, and Gary, a stalker, the dialogue here is hilarious as Dana instructs a would-be killer on drawing negative space, and the two men coach her on Strawberry's stats.
January 20, 2008: Heroes, by Gerald Sibleyras and translated by Tom Stoppard. In Tom Stoppard's hilarious and poignant translation of Gerald Sibleyras's Heroes, we meet three World War I veterans who pass their monotony-filled days in a military hospital by engaging in verbal battles of long-forgotten military campaigns, grumblings about the staff, and reflections on their lives. Henri is afflicted by a gammy leg, Gustave suffers from agoraphobia and Philippe passes out because of a piece of shrapnel lodged in his brain. Their cantankerous camaraderie becomes strained when Gustave conjures up an escape plan. Looking over the cemetery to the poplars beyond, they dream of freedom. Will today be the day they finally make it to Indochina or perhaps only as far as the top of the hill?
March 9, 2008: The Poetry of Pizza, by Deborah Brevoort. The Poetry of Pizza, "a comedy in four slices", is a contemporary comedy of errors in which the unlikely romance of an American scholar and a Kurdish refugee sets in motion a rash of culinary courtships. In an entertainment industry woefully inept at accurate and humane portrayals of Arabs, Muslims and Iraqis, The Poetry of Pizza is a romantic feel-good (and taste-good) comedy that spans cultural gulfs while celebrating heartfelt human connection. Embodying Mixed Blood's mantra of radical optimism, this is a sit-back-and-smile farce replete with Danish agoraphobics, Middle Eastern pizza chefs, and busy-body voyeurs, all in love with the idea of finding true love.
April 27, 2008: (pending final draft and availability of the playwright!) Tulla, by Colleen Curran. Ms. Curran is a Montreal playwright, novelist, CBC dramatist, actor, performer and screenwriter. Tulla is her newest, comedic work-in-progress. Her plays have been produced across Canada and the USA. Her comedies which premiered at the Blyth Festival are: CAKE-WALK, MOOSE COUNTY, MISS BALMORAL OF THE BAYVIEW, LOCAL TALENT, CEILI HOUSE and VILLA EDEN. Her play SACRED HEARTS , won an International Gabriel Award. She was Playwright in Residence at Centaur Theatre and is Co-Artistic Director of the Triumvirate Theatre Company. She has taught Playwriting all over North America and taught a Comedy Workshop at the National Theatre School of Canada.
Please call 962-8680 if you are interested in co-producing or sponsoring one of our 2008 season performances. Rummage Sale May 23-25, 2008. We are cheerfully accepting rummage sale donations. Wish List
